The Signs of the Times
October 23, 1893
The Blind Man Healed
“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 1
In the question the disciples asked Jesus, they showed that they thought all disease and suffering the result of sin. This is indeed truth, but Jesus showed that it was an error to suppose that everyone who was a great sufferer was also a great sinner. While he corrected their errors, he spat upon the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation, Sent,” and he went his way, and came seeing. Jesus answered the question the disciples put to him in a practical way, and in the way he usually answered questions put to him from curiosity. The disciples were not called upon to discuss the question of who had sinned or not sinned, but to understand the power of God, his mercy and compassion, in giving sight to the blind. It was that all might be convinced that there was no healing virtue in the clay or in the pool wherein he was sent to wash, but that virtue was in Christ. ST October 23, 1893, par. 2
Although the Pharisees quibbled at and misrepresented his words, yet they made no attempt to give credit to the clay or to the waters of Siloam. They could but be astonished at the wonderful work which he had done, yet they were more than ever filled with hatred; for this was a most convincing argument that he was the Son of God. They could not controvert this testimony, and the miracle could not be hid. The neighbors of the young man, and those who knew before of his blindness, said, “Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he; others said, He is like him; but he said, I am he.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 3
The friends and neighbors of the young man who had been healed looked upon him with doubt; for when his eyes were opened, his countenance had been changed and brightened, and made him appear like another man. From one to another the question was passed, “Is it he?” And some said, “It is like him;” but he who had received the great blessing settled the controversy by saying, “I am he.” He then told them of Jesus, and by what means Jesus had healed him, and they inquired, “Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 4
The Pharisees thought that they could make a decided impression against Jesus by charging him with breaking the Sabbath, upon which they had heaped traditions and exactions. They knew not that it was He who had made the Sabbath, who knew all its obligations, who had healed the blind man. They appeared wonderfully zealous for the observance of the Sabbath, and yet were planning murder on the very day that they professed to guard with their exactions. They regarded themselves as guardians of the Sabbath, and thought themselves capable of interpreting the principles of the fourth commandment, and in their interpretation declared that, by the bestowal of the blessing of healing, the commandment had been transgressed. This they did because they were anxious to find some way in which to condemn Jesus. They put their construction upon the law, misapplied and misinterpreted it, in order to make Jesus out to be a sinner, and therefore not the Messiah. Many were greatly moved, and convicted that this man who opened the eyes of the blind, was more than a common man. In answer to the charge that Jesus was a sinner, because he kept not the Sabbath day, they said, “How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?” ST October 23, 1893, par. 5
Through this great miracle the power of the Lord Jehovah was made manifest. The work done upon the blind man spoke to their senses and told them that One mightier than a common man was there. Could One that was divine break the Sabbath? They appealed again to the blind man, “What sayest thou of Him, that He hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.” The Pharisees then asserted that he had not been born blind and then received his sight. They called for his parents, and asked, saying: “Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not; he is of age; ask him; he shall speak for himself.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 6
There was the man himself, declaring that he had been the blind man, and had had his sight restored; but the Pharisees had been taking advanced steps in prejudice and hatred of Christ, and no sign or miracle would be acknowledged by them as evidence of his Messiahship. They would rather deny the evidences of their own senses than admit that they were mistaken, and that their teaching was wrong, so powerful is prejudice, so distorting is Pharisaical righteousness. Here were fallen men, who yet persisted in walking away from the light, yet they claimed to sit in Moses’ seat, and were professedly the wisest of man, expounders of the law of God. In their exactions and distinctions they bound heavy burdens upon others, and covered up the commandments of God with the traditions and commandments of men. ST October 23, 1893, par. 7
The Pharisees had one hope left, and that was to intimidate the parents of him who had received his sight. With apparent sincerity they asked the parents, “How doth he now see?” The parents trembled, for they knew what would be the consequences of confessing Christ. The great work wrought for their son had awakened conviction in their hearts, and they answered: “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not; he is of age; ask him; he shall speak for himself.” They shifted all responsibility from themselves to their son, for they dared not openly confess Christ. “These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 8
The dilemma in which the Pharisees were placed, their questioning prejudice, their unbelief in the facts of the case, were opening the eyes of the multitude, and especially the eyes of the common people. The mighty healer had frequently wrought his miracles in the open street, and his work was always of a character to relieve mankind of woe and suffering. The question that agitated the minds of many was, Would God do such mighty works through one that was an impostor, a deceiver, as the Pharisees insisted that Jesus was? The controversy was becoming very earnest on both sides. Those who were convinced by the miracles, claimed that Christ was the Son of God, and this growing conviction in the minds of the people greatly annoyed the Pharisees. There were two decided parties. “There was a division among them.” Unable to agree among themselves, the Pharisees again appealed to the man who was born blind. They thought that they could deceive this man, who had been blind and was uneducated, by their perversions and reasonings. But to their question as to what he thought of Him who had restored his sight, he firmly and boldly replied, “He is a prophet.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 9
The Pharisees see that they are giving publicity to the work that has been done by Jesus, for the multitude is increasing. They cannot deny the miracle. What can they say or do to counteract the effect of Jesus’ work? The blind man is filled with joy and gratitude, and beholds the wondrous things of nature, and is filled with intense delight at the beauty of earth and sky. He freely recites his experience, and though they cannot deceive or mislead him, yet they determine to do the talking, and say, “Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner.? Do not ever say again that this man gave you sight; God has done it. The blind man answered and said, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” Then they questioned again: “what did He to thee? how opened He thine eyes?” With many words they tried to deceive him, and confuse his senses, so that he might think he was deluded. Satan and his evil angels were on the side of the Pharisees, and united their energies and subtlety with man's reasonings in order to counteract the influence of Christ. They blunted the convictions that were deepening in many minds; for angels of God were also on the ground to strengthen the blind man who had had his sight restored. ST October 23, 1893, par. 10
The Pharisees made apparent their prejudice and unbelief. They did not realize that they had to deal with anyone stronger than the uneducated man who had been born blind; but this was not true. Divine light shone into the chambers of his soul, and as these hypocrites tried to make him disbelieve, God helped him to show by the vigor and pointedness of his replies that he was not to be ensnared, and they could not pervert and misconstrue his experience. “He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be His disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is.” ST October 23, 1893, par. 11
The Lord Jesus knew the ordeal through which the man for whom he had worked this miracle was passing, and gave him grace and utterance, so that he became a witness for Christ. And he answered the Pharisees: “Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, He could do nothing.” The blind man, who now could see, looked upon the wonders of creation, and would he turn from his Restorer to gain the favor of those who sought to entangle him in his talk, or heap ridicule upon him? He felt able to withstand their influence. The Pharisees saw that they could not by their reasonings pervert the man's experience, and they were astonished and held their peace, spellbound, before his pointed, determined words. For a few moments there was silence. The frowning priests and Pharisees gathered about them their robes, as though they feared contamination from contact with him. They shook off the dust of their feet against him, and treated him with derision and contempt, hurling their denunciations against him: “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him.” The believer on Jesus was cast out of the synagogue, but was received into union with Jesus Christ. ST October 23, 1893, par. 12